NCAA tables “Nick Saban” rule to slow down offenses

The NCAA rules committee has reportedly shelved the 10-second rule that would have slowed college offenses. We all know it was championed by Nick Saban to combat up-tempo offenses, which Northwest football fans have seen at Oregon for years.

But the proposal struck a nerve with many college coaches who have adopted up-tempo offenses, including Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez. He mocked the idea with this parody of “Speed.”

Alabama ranked dead last among NCAA D-I teams at 2.02. While the SEC was second to last among conferences in this stat, the conference’s two newcomers (Texas A&M and Missouri) rank No. 5 and No. 14 respectively. Under Gus Malzahn, Auburn also went up-tempo last year, and you saw how Alabama handled that.

It puts into perspective why Saban has such a vested interest in fighting college football’s drift toward up-tempo offenses, which help neutralize the 320-pound defensive-line behemoths Alabama recruits so well.

Micah Rice

Columbian Sports Editor Micah Rice is the author of Tailgate Talk: College football from a Clark County perspective.